I have so many mixed feelings about this week’s scripture, but the story of the man at the rich man’s gate is intriguing, to say the least. Here we have a very rich man and we’re told all about how well he dresses and how fancy his clothes and possessions are. We are given a very detailed depiction of his extravagant life. This life is contrasted with the life of the man who lives outside his gate. This man is the poorest of the poor and cannot afford to take care of himself. He’s so poor that he begs for food and the dogs lick at his sores. This man is the poorest of the poor- so poor that he died. His poverty killed him, and the rich man probably stepped right over his body and went on with his day.
Now, this is where the story takes a turn. Before we get there let’s pause for a moment to understand the context of this story. Jesus is sharing a series of parables about the dangers of wealth. Just prior to this were stories about the prodigal son, the rich property owner, and the bit about it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. Jesus is kind of on a roll here lashing out against the wealthy elite, and this story is just one more reminder of how he feels about wealth amassed for wealth’s sake. And to be clear, Jesus does NOT approve. Today’s story is one more in that series.
You see, when the poor man died, Jesus says that he was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. But when the rich man died, he was taken to hades to be tormented. We don’t usually get literal fire and brimstone from Jesus, so this is an interesting turn of events. But I don’t think the rich man roasting it up downstairs is the point of the story. I think it’s what comes when Abraham explains.
Abraham says, “During your lifetime you have received your good things.” Essentially, Abraham tells the rich man that it is now Lazarus’ turn to have something nice. But the man begs for a chance to go back and haunt his family to warn them that maybe they should behave better. But Abraham is NOT having it and tells him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”
What is Jesus doing in telling this story? Why do we get this fire and brimstone moment from our social justice Jesus? And is there any good news to be had from this passage?
This story caps off Jesus’ condemnation of people who accumulate wealth for wealth’s sake. I want to be clear, Jesus doesn’t hate money. He understands that money and trade and capitalism are necessary to an extent. But the EXTENT is the issue. Whenever Jesus rails against money, it’s because of the extent to which people are using their money to cause harm. When he throws over the tables in the temple? He’s angry because the trading system and money laundering in the temple were keeping people from being able to make their sacrifices and practice their faith. Those obsessed with wealth used money as a gate to keep the poor out of the temple. When he tells the rich man that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven? He’s making a point. This story is a continuation of that point.
Wealth for wealth’s sake is bad. Wealth at the expense of others is really bad. That’s it. That’s the whole message. We’ve talked about this a little bit before. Especially when we consider the text from Amos this morning. We’ve talked about how Amos preaches against wealth for wealth’s sake. Amos is telling Israel that exile is unavoidable and that they have brought it on themselves through capitalism, oppression, and the mistreatment of the poor. Biblical scholar, Donald Gowan, puts it this way: “Oppression of the weak and poor by the rich and powerful stands under the judgment of God.”
Oppression of the weak and poor by the rich and powerful stands under the judgment of God.
Amos condemns capitalism and consumerism when it comes at the expense of others. And so does Jesus. The exchange of money for goods isn’t inherently bad or wrong, but when that exchange comes at the expense of other people, we have a problem. Amos understood that, Jesus understood that, and we need to understand that.
There is definitely a line between basic material needs and outright materialism; a line between having what you need and having so much that it’s obscene. Jesus draws that line clearly and uses his storytelling to illustrate that line. The line is simple: when your wealth clouds your humanity, we’ve got a problem. We see this all the time in our modern context. Millionaires doing ridiculous things with their money- building vanity rockets for day trips to space and such, but not doing enough to contribute to the betterment of the world around them. Sure, they give enough to get a proper tax write off, but are they actually doing anything to improve the world? Not often.
Rebekka Ayers puts it this way,
“We have arrived at an obscene inequality crisis, in which wealth is concentrated in the hands of a powerful few, at the cost of crippling hardship, precarity, and compromised well-being for the many. When a single billionaire can accumulate more money in 10 seconds than their employees make in one year, while workers struggle to meet the basic cost of rent and medicine, then yes, every billionaire really is a policy failure.”
See, that’s the problem for me- When a single billionaire can make more money in 10 seconds than their employees make in a year, that’s an issue. When corporations pay minimum wage while making maximum profits that they do not pass on to their workers? That’s an issue. A 2020 study found that employees of Walmart and McDonald’s are among the top beneficiaries of Medicaid and food stamp benefits. These are people who HAVE JOBS but still cannot afford medical care or food. And are the people at the top of those corporations suffering? No. And this problem is widespread- other companies have similar issues- Amazon, Kroger, Dollar General. These are not companies that are failing. These are companies that make BILLIONS of dollars a quarter.
When 70% of federal aid beneficiaries work full time? The problem isn’t people being lazy or not wanting to work. The problem is wealth for wealth’s sake run amok. The problem is billionaires who want to amass wealth without caring for the people who got them that wealth.
This is exactly the type of issue Jesus and Amos are addressing. The very rich man in Jesus’ story has amassed wealth to the point that it has blinded him to the plight of the poor starving man at his front door. He is so wrapped up in his own wealth that he cannot see that this man is suffering. If he DOES see the poor man? That’s somehow even worse. He’s willfully ignoring the pain of another human being for the sake of being rich.
And if anything is going to bring out the fire and brimstone from Jesus? It’s the mistreatment of the poor. Jesus isn’t interested in wealth for wealth’s sake. Jesus IS interested in how people use their money. If the rich man had used his money to help others, had cared for the beggar at his gate, shared his food with the man, or helped him get medical attention? Jesus wouldn’t be upset about his wealth. Jesus isn’t mad because the man is wealthy. He’s angry because of what that wealth does.
And that’s the same for me. I’m not mad that billionaires exist. I’m baffled as to how that much money is even possible, but I’m not angry that some folks have that much money. No, what makes me mad is that they aren’t doing anything to contribute to the good of the world or end systemic poverty. That they aren’t paying their own employees enough to survive while at the same time building rockets and having more homes than I can count on two hands. My problem isn’t with wealth, it’s with wealth at the expense of the humanity of others.
Jesus’ problem isn’t about wealth. It’s about wealth at the expense of the humanity of others.
So what’s the good news here? Well, there’s not much good news for the guy roasting in hades. There is, however, good news for us. We have the opportunity to NOT be like the rich man. We can learn from Jesus, Moses, and the prophets without having to be haunted by a ghost. We can work to make a difference in the lives of those who have less than we do. Even if we aren’t billionaires, our contributions can make change. It seems trite, perhaps, but it’s a powerful reminder that we weren't put on this planet to amass wealth and then die and leave that wealth to someone else. We were created for love. And when we express that love, we are living out our calling and building spiritual wealth instead. And that’s the wealth that matters.
Amen.